SnapDragon
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Valentine's Day has come. What will Ryuuji be getting on the first year he's not alone? Happy Valentine's Day!


**Okay so I just needed to make a ToraDora Valentine's Day fanfic this year and so I wrote it _the day before_ but here it is! It might not be the best thing ever but please enjoy! ^^  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own ToraDora! which is probably the reason why my life isn't amazing :'

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SnapDragon

"Good morning, Taiga!"

A loud, friendly call sounded from the other side of the classroom as the infamous Palmtop Tiger raised her head and looked up.

"Minoriii!" she sang delightedly, pushing her chair back and throwing herself into her friend's expecting arms.

"Wow! You've got a lot of energy again, don't you?" The red-haired girl laughed. "Is it because _that _day is coming up soon?"

"W-What?" Taiga blushed and looked away. "N-No! Why would that be it?" she pouted.

"Aw it is that!" Minori chirped. "You're so lucky Taiga! To have someone to spend Valentine's Day with and be a lovey-dovey and smoochy with!"

"W-What? Who's 'lovey-dovey'?" the shorter girl blushed excessively as she felt the stares of everyone in the classroom begin to rotate in her direction.

"But I'm happy for you!" Her oblivious, fast-talking companion went on. "You get to spend it with Takasu-kun and flaunt the fact that you're a couple! But alas! The rest of us singles will have to suffer alone again as we do every year, continuously asking ourselves 'Why can't I be like them?' while sitting home by our lonesome lamenting and eating grief food while watching some sappy soap opera-"

"Minori!" Taiga wailed, frustrated. Her friend lost the dramatic pose she had gotten into. "You're embarrassing me!"

"But what's there to be embarrassed about?" Minori went on at her mile-a-minute speech. "You're so cute together! Spending Valentine's Day together is only the start of a long and potentially-happy relationship with someone you think you love! I can't wait until you two get married and have kids-" She was cut off as Taiga leaped forward and shoved her palm against Minori's mouth.

"Stop talking!" she hissed. "And somehow the way you worded that makes me feel depressed."

"Yo. What's going on?" Ryuuji asked as he entered the classroom, returned from his expedition to the snack machine. When he saw the scene of Taiga and Minori struggling together and the other students staring at him deer in headlights, he merely sighed.

"Ah! Takasu-kun!" Minori waved madly at him as she broke away from Taiga's grip. "We were just talking about how you and Taiga-"

"S-S-Shut up!" the other girl cried. "No we weren't!" Then she turned to Ryuuji, her cheeks flushed red and her auburn eyes hard with determination. "We weren't talking about anything, got that?" her voice was more defensive than offensive.

"Okay…" the boy shrugged before taking his seat.

Taiga sighed an did the same as Minori giggled, receiving a harsh glare from her shorter friend who now sat to her right due to seat changes. The hyperactive girl leaned over to her left and poked Taiga in the side, making her jump and squeal, nearly falling out of her seat.

"M-Minorin! You know I hate that!" she complained, cautiously retaking her seat.

"Soooo what did you get him?" the other girl went on obliviously. "Hm? _Hmmmm? _Tell me!" she insisted.

"Okay fine! Just be quiet!" Taiga hissed, leaning in closer. "I…I didn't get him chocolates this year-"

"Ooooh! Scandalous!"

"Shhh!"

"Sorry." Minori said, not sounding apologetic in the least. "But it's almost like a taboo, not getting your date chocolates on Valentine's Day. Then again I guess some people are lactose intolerant-"

"Do you want me to tell you or not?"

"Sorry! I'll shut up now!"

Taiga waited a moment, peaking behind her shoulder at Ryuuji to make sure he had not caught wind of their conversation before turning back to her friend.

"I-"

"Okay class is starting!" the announcement from their sensei cut her off and Minori pouted.

"Tell me laterrr!" she whispered.

"Kushieda-san!" Yuri snapped. "Please refrain from talking when I'm ranting about how I'll be spending Valentine's Day alone again this year and will be forced to stay home and watch soap operas while _everyone else_ my age on the entire planet is enjoying themselves."

"Sorry." The girl smiled before mouthing 'told you so' to Taiga.

"Yes. Well then…" Their homeroom teacher continued her discourse as the students proceeded to drown her out and before they all knew it, lunch had arrived.

Ryuuji pushed his desk next to Taiga's as their usual group of 5 formed; Kitamura greeted them all as he joined them with Ami. But before the boys could get too comfortable, the blue-haired beauty spoke up innocently.

"Say, do you think you boys could leave us be for today?" she wondered. "We need to have some private girl talk."

Ryuuji and Kitamura blinked twice in unison before sharing a stare and silently coming to a mutual agreement.

"S-Sure." Ryuuji agreed as he gathered his bento and stood from his seat; Taiga watched in silent dread as he left her, feeling like an abandoned kitten that was being thrown to the wolves. "Well, um…see you later then." He said to her before slowly following Kitamura to the opposite side of the room with Haruta who was already bragging about his gorgeous girlfriend.

Ami took Ryuuji's place beside Taiga and Minori blocked her other side. Taiga glanced around the room to notice that most of the other girls and boys were segregating by gender as well.

"So let's cut to the chase." Ami stared directly at Taiga and spoke in her 'No-BS" voice. "What did you get him?"

"Yes! What?" The redhead added from the other side.

"Keep your voices down!" the blonde girl growled. She took a deep breath to help keep her composure before letting it out slowly and replying.

"I didn't get him anything-"

"What?" Minori shrieked.

"You are seriously hopeless!" Ami face-palmed herself in frustration.

"Would you both shut up? Geez!" Taiga locked both their necks in each of her arms before they could make too much commotion. "Would you let me _finish?_"

Reluctantly, both girls nodded before she let them go.

"I didn't get him anything _because_," she lowered her tone again. "I _made_ him stuff, okay?"

There was a moment of silence before the red and blue-haired girls made eye contact with one another before letting out a long, unanimous "Ooooh." They both sat back calmly before Minori attacked again.

"So what did you make him?"

"N-Nothing!"

"I hope you're joking!" Ami warned. "Valentine's Day is _to-mo-rrow_." She reminded the Palmtop Tiger sternly.

"I know that!" Taiga snorted.

"So what are you making hiiimm?" Minori pounded on the desk with her fists like a little kid asking about her Christmas presents.

"I'm…I'm not saying!" Taiga forced herself to say, earning shocked blinks from her female friends. "I-If he really likes it enough to tell people, then you'll find out on Monday." She declared.

"No faaair!" Minori complained. "Why do I have to wait that long?"

"Because it's Friday." Ami answered stoically.

"But I want to know what my Taiga made for him _now_! Damn that Takasu-kun! What a lucky bastard, being given homemade goodies from my beloved Taiga-chan!"

"L-L-Let's stop talking about this for now and eat, okay?" Taiga was beginning to feel more self-conscious than ever as she realized that she would be one of the many girls to be officially participating in a Valentine's Day for the very first time this year.

Obediently, Ami and Minori took out their bento's and began to eat as Taiga let her covert romantic thoughts roam freely.

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"So what do you feel like for dinner tonight?" Ryuuji asked casually as he walked home beside Taiga. "It's Friday so we should celebrate a little."

"W-Whatever is fine." She mumbled, sinking her chin into her scarf.

"What?" Ryuuji glanced over at her. "Really? You always have something specific in mind for me to make, even when I don't ask your opinion."

"Well not today." Somehow his words hurt a little bit. "Make whatever you want for you. I don't think I can come over tonight anyway." She told him.

They both came to a stop as they reached the front of Ryuuji's apartment building.

"Huh? Why not?" he frowned.

"I just have a lot of stuff to do."

"I could help out." He offered.

"N-No! It's okay, really!" she threw her hands up in front of her.

"O…Okay." He nodded, looking a little taken aback. Taiga sighed before she smiled.

"Idiot." She met his downcast eyes with her soft ones. "I'll come over early tomorrow, okay? So you'd better be up on time!"

His face lit up. "Okay!" he smiled. "And I find it hard to believe that you'll be able to get up earlier than me by yourself anyway."

"Challenge accepted." She said, stepping closer and getting playfully into his face. Ryuuji laughed as he ruffled her hair and she let herself giggle lightly as well.

"Don't eat too much crap tonight."

"Don't worry. I'll eat those leftovers you gave me yesterday."

"Good. See you tomorrow." He said.

"Yeah." She promised.

Before she turned to leave, she waited for Ryuuji to do what he always did whenever they needed to part ways. He pulled her in by the shoulders and quickly kissed the top of her head.

"Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

"Geez." Ryuuji mumbled to himself as he glanced at the alarm clock in his room. "I knew she'd never be able to wake up on her own." He sighed.

Ryuuji had woken up about an hour ago, showered, eaten and changed clothes to his casual wear, hoping that he had given Taiga enough time to wake up and make herself decent. It was already past noon and his Saturday was wasting away before his eyes.

He was about to get his extended broom to tap on her window with when he heard a half-hearted knock on his door. "About time." He said to himself as he raced over to open the door. "Tai…ga?" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of her.

At his door stood the small girl that resembled a porcelain doll whom he had fallen in love with over time. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and the casual, pink dress she wore that ended in white ruffles. There was a large red ribbon in her hair with tiny hearts dangling off of the ends. He hardly even noticed the small bag she was holding as his eyes were drawn to her smiling face. "Wow. You look…amazing." He said, baffled.

"What, this?" She blinked in surprise, looking down at her outfit. "T-This is nothing. I just felt that it was appropriate for today." She told him dismissively as she stepped in and removed her red dress shoes. _She brushes it off like it's nothing, _the boy noted. _But she sure seemed to put a lot of thought into it all. _

Closing the door, he followed her into the living room where she knelt down on one of the pillows at the kotatsu.

"Are you hungry or anything? Do you want me to get you some water?" Ryuuji offered.

"No. Sit." Taiga ordered. Reaching up, she grabbed his sleeve and yanked with all of the might in her small body, bringing him down onto the floor beside her in a stunned sitting position.

She began rummaging through her bag and Ryuuji peered over her shoulder but she blocked him perfectly.

"Okay." She said quietly as she turned back to him, her hands behind her back. "I know it's really not much and I did the same thing last year but…here." She brought her hands in front of her and revealed her gift to him.

A small pink bag sat in her palms, tied at the top with a ribbon.

A smile spread across Ryuuji's lips as he slowly took it from her and she bowed her head to hide her blush, her bangs shading her eyes.

"Thanks, Taiga." He said sincerely. Untying the string, he carefully removed one of the little chocolates from inside and popped it into his mouth as Taiga shifted bashfully.

"I've been practicing for a little while so they should taste better than they were last year…Do they taste any better?" she wondered, tentatively looking up at him past her bangs.

"Y-Yeah!" he exclaimed. "It's amazing! I mean- not that it wasn't last year but-"

"Thanks." She cut him off gently as he struggled for words. "I'm glad."

She fiddled with her hair for a moment before suddenly remembering the other thing she had for him. "Oh! One more…" she mumbled to herself, reaching back into her bag and Ryuuji looked up curiously from his snacking. "Now…these might seem a bit weird but…I actually put a lot of thought into getting them…"

She pulled out a small bushel of pink and yellow flowers and coyly handed them to him. Ryuuji could hardly believe his eyes and was suspicious of reality for a moment before he registered what was before him. "They're kind of for Yaa-san too. But like I said I know it's weird, y-you can say so but…" she trailed off stammering, rethinking the gift greatly and almost wanting to take it back. "I-I could just return them-"

"No!" Ryuuji cut her off, a little too loudly, making her jump. "I'm somehow really happy."

"But…aren't they too girly?"

"No way! Yasuko will be thrilled with a little something to brighten up the place too. And you really did put in a lot of thought to these. They're SnapDragons, right?"

"Y-Yeah." She replied. "B-B-But it's not just because of your name! They're some of the first buds to pop up after Winter, kind of like they're always trying their best to blossom, or something poetic like that…" she mumbled under her breath, not entirely wanting him to hear all this.

"Wow. You really did your research." He sounded impressed and…flattered?

"But that's why they kind of reminded me of you; because you're always working so diligently at everything you do…And when everything else is cold and lazy, you're the one who's doing something and trying hard for Springtime…" she was not even sure of what she was saying anymore or if it made sense. But Ryuuji heard every single word and could hardly even believe how much heart she had put into his gifts.

"Taiga," he broke her train of thought and she looked up at him quickly. "Thank you. Really."

Placing the flowers on his lap, he reached forward and wrapped his arms around her loosely. She froze before closing her eyes, letting his warmth spread to her.

He knew that there was also more meaning behind those little flowers that she could not bring herself to say, but he understood.

They were flowers after all, and flowers between couples only meant one thing…

As soon as he let go, she found herself missing his touch excessively.

"And you know why they call them SnapDragons?" she asked softly, picking up one of the stems and holding it up between them.

"No. Why?" he leaned forward grinning.

"Because…" she explained, gingerly taking one of the buds between her fingers. "When you squeeze them together from the side, the petals open like a dragon's jaws."

"Whoa! That's so cool!" the boy exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Heh. Small things amuse small minds." She chuckled lightly.

Then she yawned and her eyelashes flickered before she slumped forward.

"Whoa!" Ryuuji lunged forward and caught her before she hit the kotatsu. "Hey! What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, idiot. I'm just tired." She mumbled almost inaudibly.

Ryuuji smiled, shaking his head hopelessly at her.

"Come on. Let me at least get you to my room." He urged.

The SnapDragons rolled off of his lap as he carefully got to his feet and pulled her up beside him. She did her best to attempt to keep her balance, but her eyelids felt too heavy and she slumped onto his chest. "Geez! Did you sleep at all last night?" He asked, bending down to slip his arm under her knees, lifting her bridal style.

"Shut up." She mumbled, burying her face into his shirt as he carried her to his room. "I was making your chocolates till late last night so they would be fresh…" here she paused to yawn before continuing. "And then I woke up really early this morning to go to the flower shop."

"So you really did wake up before I did, huh?" The boy chuckled as he reached his room. "You win."

"Good." She muttered as he laid her down on his bed. "Sorry." She then said out of the blue.

"Sorry? For what?" he wondered as he pulled a blanket over her shoulders.

"We should be going out on a date together for Valentine's Day," she explained. "But I'm stupid and stayed up all night and now I'm holding you back."

"That's not even something to worry about." He told her honestly. "Just get some sleep."

He watched as she gradually closed her eyes before he walked out of his room to retrieve his gifts from the living room. He took a small glass from the cupboards and filled it with water before placing the plants stems in it and carrying them, along with his chocolates back to his room. He placed the flowers on his bedside table and sat down cross-legged on the floor beside his bed. He ate one more of the sweets before tying up the rest and putting them on the table as well.

"Hey." He called softly to the girl. "Are you asleep yet?"

"Not anymore." She growled light-heartedly, opening her eyes again.

"I just wanted to tell you thanks." He whispered.

"You already did, idiot." She reminded him, smiling.

"Well I just wanted to say it again. Taiga, than-"

He was cut off as she pushed herself up from the bed and leaned forward, gently kissing him.

He was taken aback, as she had never done something so bold before, but he kissed back nonetheless.

It was different from their first kiss; she had been much more timid at the time but now Taiga seemed confident in what she wanted.

It was not long before she pulled away, but she could not help but feel as though it had all been too short.

"Thank you, Taiga." The boy finally finished.

"You're welcome." She breathed.

"And I won't forget what I have to do next." He vowed and she turned a curious stare toward him. "On White Day next month, I have to pay you back triple what you gave me today."

"Heh. I'll look forward to that." She informed him, lying back down on her side to face where he sat with his back turned slightly toward her.

"Good. You'd better." He smirked.

This time, he leaned forward and kissed her on the head, sending chills down her spine.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ryuuji."

"Thanks I really mean it." He repeated.

Quietly, Taiga extended her arms in front of her chest and Ryuuji turned slightly to the side and placed his hand on top of hers. He heard her sigh as her eyes closed and Ryuuji too allowed himself to take a rest.

"I love you, Taiga." He said softly.

"Mm." She smiled. "Me too."

Silence settled over them as their breathing mingled and slowed as they fell into slumber.

Just before Ryuuji lost gave into the realm of sleep, he swore to Taiga in his mind;

_I promise to repay you triple on White Day. I will. Definitely…_

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_**A/N: Well I hope you liked it! The White Day sequel is will be called TigerLily, so look forward to it next month!  
Happy Valentine's Day!**

**Please review! **


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